Author Interview: Ginger Scott

Author Interview with Ginger Scott

~What are you currently working on?

I am working on book 3 in the Falling Series (the first two are THIS IS FALLING and YOU AND EVERYTHING AFTER). Book 3, THE GIRL I WAS BEFORE, is Paige’s story – the sister in the first two books, and Paige has a lot of layers. She’s rough, and sometimes she comes off harsh, maybe even a little cruel, but it’s only because she’s blunt and honest. And in this book, she gets called out on a lot of things. She’s in that unique place where she wants to be true to herself, but use her powers for good instead of greed. I’m having a blast writing her perspective.

~Who is your favorite author?

I have so very many, but I read everything Colleen Hoover writes the second it hits my Kindle from pre-order. I also love Curtis Sittenfeld and Jamie McGuire.

~What writing advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Let go of the fear. Fear stood in my way for way too long, and eventually, it turned into regret – regret that I waited so long to try. I was afraid of rejection, afraid that I would write a book nobody would read or care about, but then the amazing reading community proved me wrong. There is a place out there for every word written – you just need to believe in it.

~Which of your characters is your Book Boyfriend? Why?

I used to say Reed Johnson, my first. Reed is a high school turned college quarterback, and I’m a bit of a sports nut. Reed summed everything up for me, his flaws and his strength through his growth. But…my latest release, Wild Reckless (out March 17) features Owen Harper. Owen plays basketball, he swears, he drinks, and he’s dark and messed up – for good reason. Owen overcomes some seriously heavy things in Wild Reckless, and I knew when I started writing him that I would love him best. There’s something magical about him, and I miss being up late with him on my computer.

~Are you an organized author or scattered?

A little bit of both. I write from a loose outline and then I add in about a billion character notes. My stories are very character driven, down to every little nuance. Sometimes, my character notes get a little out of hand – I would never let anyone see the crazy Post-It situation that is inside my work bag!

~Which one of your characters is your absolute favorite? Why?

I am inclined to say Owen Harper again from Wild Reckless, but instead I have to give a tie to Tyson Preeter and Nolan Lennox. Tyson is the brother in book 2 of the Falling Series – YOU AND EVERYTHING AFTER. I love him because he challenged me. Tyson is a paraplegic, and writing him intimidated me because I wanted to write him honestly. I wanted him to be brave and strong, to show what he was capable of, but I also need to show his vulnerabilities and frustrations. Ty challenged me, and I love him for that. Nolan, on the other hand, is the female lead I always wanted to write. She is my narrator from WAITING ON THE SIDELINES, my first book. She is a girl with a boy’s name and a heart she wears on her sleeve. I wrote Nolan to be every girl in high school, and I wrote that story to show four years of high school, because those are painfully important years. The letters I get from teens and adults alike saying how they identified with Nolan’s character are maybe the most precious notes I receive. Nolan is for every girl and woman.

~Do you work on 1 story at a time or multiples?

Always one story. I need to stay in a certain mood. I’ve written notes on other ideas, but I always start and finish one before jumping to the next.

~What is your favorite genre to read?

High school romance. Really gritty high school romance. Or coming-of-age stories. It doesn’t always have to be romance; I love seeing characters grow up and become who they’re meant to be.

~If you could go back in time what is one thing you would tell your teenage self?

Let go of the fear and just do this thing! You got this!

~What are your favorite hobbies?

Baseball, softball, volleyball, and baseball. Did I mention baseball? 😉

~Do you believe in love at first sight?

Yes. Absolutely. I’m married to one.

~Favorite sport/sports team?

Baseball. Diamondbacks. (But I cheat and love lots of other baseball teams, too!)

~Do you have any hidden talents?

I sing a damn good country tune!

~Most hated chore?

~If you had a superpower, what would it be?

To mildly shock people in the ass when they cut people in line or are rude to service people. Nothing makes me hotter than jerks who slide in without waiting and a-heads who think it’s okay to be mean to the girl making their sandwich at Subway. Zap ’em. Right in the rear!

~What’s your favorite fast food chain?

Taco Bell.

~What was your first job?

Subway sandwich artist. I burnt the bread. There was a mall evacuation of the early morning mall walkers. It was a scene.

Kensington Worth had a vision for her senior year. It involved her best
friends, her posh private school in downtown Chicago and time alone with
her piano until her audition was perfected, a guaranteed ticket into the
best music programs in the world.

Instead, a nightmare took over.

It didn’t happen all at once, but her life unraveled quickly—a tiny thread
that evil somehow kept pulling until everything precious was taken from
her. She was suddenly living miles away from her old life, trapped in an
existence she didn’t choose—one determined to destroy her from the inside,
leaving only hate and anger behind. It didn’t help that her neighbor, the
one whose eyes held danger, was enjoying every second of her fall.

Owen Harper was trouble, his heart wild and his past the kind that’s
spoken about in whispers. And somehow, his path was always intertwined
with Kensington’s, every interaction crushing her, ruining her hope for
any future better than her now. Sometimes, though, what everyone warns is
trouble, is exactly what the heart needs. Owen Harper was consumed with
darkness, and it held onto his soul for years. When Kensington looked at
him, she saw a boy who’d gotten good at taking others down when they
threatened his carefully balanced life. But the more she looked, the more
she saw other things too—good things…things to admire.

Things…to love. Things that made her want to be reckless.

And those things…they were the scariest of all.

Excerpt:

I don’t know what makes me do it. In fact, I don’t know why I am the way I
am with Owen. I’ve been careful and timid and obedient my entire life, my
only mission to please everyone—please my father, Chen, my mother, my
friends, my teachers. Please, please, please, please, please. That’s all I
do. And all it’s done for me is land me in Woodstock, away from my friends
and the senior year I was expecting to have. I’m not pleasing Owen Harper,
too. So I stand with my tray and raise my arm slowly by my side, my eyes
zeroed in on his until I’m pointing at him. I close one eye and cock my
head slightly to the right, like I’m making sure I have him in my
sights—and then I pull the trigger.

“Jesus H Christ, Kensi! What’s wrong with you?” Willow asks. She pulls my
arm back down, but I keep my eyes on Owen, staring into his gray-blue
eyes—eyes that look like a wolf’s. “What are you doing?”

“I’m starting a war, Willow,” I say, my heart speeding up and my breath
growing more ragged as reality catches up with me.

I’m starting a war with a guy who doesn’t lose; a guy who doesn’t play by
the rules.